2020 NHL Season: Grading the Toronto Maple Leafs’ centers at season pause

TORONTO,ON - JANUARY 8: Auston Matthews #34 of the Toronto Maple Leafs celebrates a shoot-out goal against the Winnipeg Jets during an NHL game at Scotiabank Arena on January 8, 2020 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Jets defeated the Maple Leafs 4-3 in a shootout. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images)
TORONTO,ON - JANUARY 8: Auston Matthews #34 of the Toronto Maple Leafs celebrates a shoot-out goal against the Winnipeg Jets during an NHL game at Scotiabank Arena on January 8, 2020 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Jets defeated the Maple Leafs 4-3 in a shootout. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images) /
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TORONTO, ON – JANUARY 18: Alexander Kerfoot #15 of the Toronto Maple Leafs skates against the Chicago Blackhawks during an NHL game at Scotiabank Arena on January 18, 2020 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Blackhawks defeated the Maple Leafs 6-2. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON – JANUARY 18: Alexander Kerfoot #15 of the Toronto Maple Leafs skates against the Chicago Blackhawks during an NHL game at Scotiabank Arena on January 18, 2020 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Blackhawks defeated the Maple Leafs 6-2. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images) /

Alexander Kerfoot

Games Played: 65
Goals: 9
Assists: 19
Points: 28

At the moment, Alexander Kerfoot remains — without question — one of the more polarizing players to have donned the blue and white throughout the past year.

In part, this was not entirely Kerfoot’s fault. Despite the wide-ranging hopes of Leafs Nation, the 25-year-old was never going to be the next Nazem Kadri. Nor was he ever going to be a player of the dynamic-altering variety.

Rather, the 25-year-old panned out mostly as advertised: A decent — albeit inconsistent — third-line center who could be plugged into the club’s wings if the coaching staff preferred for someone else to occupy the space down the middle.

I found Kerfoot to be particularly difficult to evaluate — a testament to the sense of inconstancy that often plagued the team across a broad scale. Some points to consider:

  • He was a fair depth piece who could play with John Tavares, yes — but I did not love him in that role. I felt Kerfoot was much more effective as a third-line center, but allowing him to assume such duties would, at times, reflect a blow to the club’s two-way game.
  • His speed was fun to watch and his passing was certainly underrated. But Kerfoot’s hesitance to shoot the puck — and underlying lack of a scoring touch when shots were fired — was all the more apparent.
  • He could be a feisty player to match up against. The snarly element to Kerfoot’s game was under-appreciated and understated in a market that has historically been receptive to such qualities. But the player’s tendency to take inconvenient — and often avoidable — penalties was nothing short of frustrating.
  • He had to grapple with the difficulties of adjusting to not one, but two new systems under Mike Babcock and Keefe, respectively. And he had to play through a portion of the season while under the influence of the injury bug. But in spite of offering glimmers of promise, Kerfoot never really seemed to catch his stride.

I hold true to the belief that Kerfoot is the type of player who general manager Kyle Dubas ought to continue to bet on. Consistency through playing with line-mates who mesh with his strengths should help in this capacity. But for now, an array of questions shall remain.

Grade: B-